Ruling apparatus



Dec. 10, 1963 J. A. COULTER RULING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25. 1960 FIG. 3 Inventor JOHN A. COULTER Attorney Dec. 10, 1963 J, c u 3,113,513

RULING APPARATUS Filed July 25. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor JOHN A. COULTER Attorney United States Patent Office 3,113,513 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 This invention relates to a ruling apparatus. It is particularly directed to providing a ruling device for applying to a sheet a plurality of parallel, equi-spaced lines in one direction of the sheet, and marginal lines at right angles to the first mentioned lines which define marginal edges of substantially equal width.

Ruling devices are known for applying a plurality of equi-spaced lines to each side of a sheet of paper. Also, devices are known for applying spaced lines at right angles to the plurality of parallel lines to define the marginal edges of individual pages when the edges of the sheet are trimmed and the sheet is cut into pages of predetermined size.

Heretofore, to provide more than two marginal lines to a sheet, it has been necessary to pass the web of paper through a first ruling machine which applies the plurality of parallel equi-spaced lines. The web is then transferred to a second ruling machine in which the ink applying blades are set to apply the marginal lines, leaving enough space at each marginal edge to allow for trimming so that in the finished Web, after trimming, each marginal line defines a marginal edge of substantially equal width and the web can be cut into individual pages and bound into note books and the like, such as are used in schools.

This has involved the duplication of ruling machines to apply these two sets of lines on each side of the web, each machine comprising two complete sets of idler rolls, draw rolls, inking rolls, ink applying blades and driers. Thus, it has not been possible to apply more than two marginal lines to a sheet at right angles to the horizontal lines in a single machine and obtain a sheet which after trimming can be cut into pages of predetermined size with each marginal line defining a marginal edge of substantially equal width.

I have found that these tWo ruling operations can be conducted in a single ruling device by incorporating a novel marginal ruling device with the conventional inking roller discs which permits ruling of both longitudinal and transverse lines in a one stage operation.

The ruling device comprises a plurality of inking blades rigidly mounted on a rotatable shaft at predetermined arcuate intervals to each other such that lines are ruled on the paper travelling thereby at predetermined spaced intervals which are not necessarily equal and transverse to the lines ruled by the inking roller discs. Thus, one pass through a single set of inking roller discs and rotating blades results in the ruling of both the closely spaced, parallel lines and the marginal lines transverse thereto, thereby obviating many of the disadvantages of having to provide two separate and distinct ruling machines for these two operations.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide a ruling apparatus which will rule two sets of lines at right angles to each other on paper or the like material in a one-stage operation and thus avoid undesirable duplication of equipment and operational and maintenance requirements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ruling apparatus which is relatively simple in construction and operation.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a combination of parts which are readily and quickly adjustable and substantially positive and troublefree in operation.

An understanding of the manner in which these and other objects of the invention can be obtained will become apparent from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a plurality of inking blades arranged in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view in detail of one of the inking blades showing the arrangement for anchoring and adjusting the inking blade on the support rail;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1 illustrating the angular spacing of the inking blades about the periphery of an imaginary circle drawn therearound;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic diagram of a complete ruling apparatus adapted to apply the spaced lines on both sides of the web; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the inking rollers and ink supply means.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings.

With particular reference to FIGURES 1 through 3, the preferred embodiment of the margin ruling apparatus 9 illustrated therein comprises rigid inking blades 10 adjustably mounted on supporting rails 11 which in turn are rigidly and adjustably secured in a predetermined spaced relaion to each other and to rotatable shaft 12 by means of connecting arms 13.

inking blade 10 comprises a flat basal portion 14 with elevated V-shaped blade portion 15 preferably formed integral therewith and extending along the central portion thereof. The printing edge 16 of said blade is flattened slightly to provide the desired thickness of line. A thickness of 7 to 91 of an inch is often preferred.

A plurality of groups of joining means 17 are spaced equidistantly along the long axis of blade 10 and permit adjustment of said blade relative to the supporting rail 11. The two outside pairs of each group of joining means are preferably comprised of set screws 18 threaded into basal portion 14- of blade 10 and are adapted to seat on rail 11. The interior pair of screws 19 are threaded into rail 11 and function as anchor screws. By adjusting set screws 18 and anchor screws 19, the height of the inking blades can be regulated relative to support rail 11 to provide the desired blade height. Each inking blade 14) is adjusted such that the printing edge 16 will lie concentric within an imaginary cylinder described by the edges as they rotate.

Each supporting rail 11 is secured to shaft 12 by three rigid connecting arms 13. The arms are separately adjustably mounted on the shaft 12 by means of set screws 13a such that the peripheral spacing of the blades can be adjusted separately as desired.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the peripheral spacing of the inking blades 10 in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The four blades are disposed such that approximate quadrants are formed by the sectors created by the radii drawn through the blade edges 16. Three quadrants are formed with angles of about 89 subtended at the apex 20 by the peripheral arcs 21. The remaining quadrant therefore subtends an angle at the apex of about 93. The purposes of this preferred peripheral spacing of the inking blades will be described in detail hereinafter.

Circular wheel portions 22 are mounted on and rotatably secured to shaft 12 at each end thereof. Shaft 12 is driven by gear 22a which is rigidly secured to the extension of one end of the shaft. The peripheral edge 23 of each wheel 22 bears on a driven impression cylinder 24 and rotates therewith at substantially the same speed to provide a steadying influence on the inking blades.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, a printing system is illustrated schematically to show the combination of parts in which the present invention can be used to advantage.

Paper 25 is drawn from roll 26, passes through a perforator 27, which may or may not form part of the overall machine, over idler roller 28, driven impression cylinder 24, adjustable roller 29, a second driven impression cylinder 30, idler rollers 31 and 32, a second adjustable roller 33, between draw roller 34 and pressure roller 35, under sheet counter 36, cutters 37 and 38 and between pressure roller 39 and forwarding roller 49, to conveyor 50 from which the cut sheets are carried from the machine.

A complete system of ruling apparatus for lining one side of a sheet of paper or the like material is presented between perforator 27 and adjustable roller 29. Two sets of inking discs are illustrated, designated by numerals 41 and 42. Each set, as shown in more detail by FIGURE 5, is capable of providing a plurality of parallel lines on a side of paper 25 as it passes thereunder. The discs 43, which are conventional inking discs, are spaced a predetermined distance apart on shaft 44 with the spacing of said discs 43 being determined by the desired spacing of the lines on paper 25.

The discs, all concentric and co-extensive with each other are adapted to bear lightly on impression cylinder 24 such that a positive pressure is exerted on paper 25 travelling therebetween sufiicient to provide continuous inked lines and to rotate discs 43 with shaft 44 secured integrally therewith.

inking roller 45, partly immersed in ink tray 46, is rotatably mounted on shaft 47 and is adapted to bear in positive engagement with inking discs 43. Gear 47a, which is rigidly mounted on an extension of shaft 47, is adapted to rotate inking roller 45 such that a continuous supply of ink is applied to discs 43. This is a known arrangement and forms, per se, no part of the present invention.

The second set of discs 42 is incorporated in series with the first set 41 to provide a different line colour if desired. The second arrangement of discs 42, with inking blanket and ink tray is substantially the same as the first set 41 in construction and operation.

As impression cylinder 24 rotates, margin roller assembly 9 also rotates therewith at substantially the same peripheral speed to bring inking blades 10 with V-shaped inking edges 16 in contact with paper 25 at predetermined spaced intervals. Gear-driven inking roller 48, which rotates partly immersed in ink tray 49, continually applies ink to blade edges 16 as said blades are rotated on shaft 12. The blades are spaced at predetermined peripheral intervals to provide lines transverse to lines ruled by inking roller discs 41 and/ or 42.

A drier, not shown, is preferably positioned immediately after impresison cylinder 24 to dry the ink prior to subsequent handling.

A second system of ruling apparatus is provided between adjustable rollers 29 and 33 to rule the opposite side of paper 25. The second system is substantially a duplicate of the first system.

Draw roll 34 advances the web of ruled paper to cutting rollers 37 and 38 where sheets of a predetermined length are cut. The rate of rotation of cutting rolls 37 and 38 determines the length of the sheets, as is Well known in the art.

Forwarding roller 48, which rotates at a slightly higher peripheral speed than rollers 34 and 35, applies tension to paper 25 to facilitate the cutting operation. The sheets are discharged onto conveyor and stacked.

In operation, the web of paper 25 passes through two groups of inking devices for ruling of longitudinal and transverse lines on both sides thereof in one continuous operation.

The sequence of operations as illustrated by FIGURE 4 and as described in some detail hereinbefore comprises a first stage ruling of parallel lines parallel to the long axis of the paper by means of inking rollers 41 and 42 and the ruling of the marginal or other lines transverse to the first set of parallel lines by means of the inking blades Ill.

This sequence is repeated for the opposite side of the paper.

The operation of inking rollers 41 and 42 is well known in the art and therefore requires no further explanation.

The inking blades, as hereinbefore described, are disposed, in this particular embodiment, at angular relationships to each other of about 89, 89, 89 and 93 to complete the full complement of 360. With an outside diameter of 9.33 inches, an angular spacing of 89 provides a peripheral arc of 7% inches and an angular spacing of 93 provides an arc of 7 /2 inches. Thus, three margins are spaced 7% inches apart and the fourth margin spaced 7 /2 inches from the third.

The additional 4 inch provided by the extra 3 in one quadrant permits trimming of /s inch from each of the two serrated edges created by the cutters 37 and 38. The sheets are cut in the large quadrant such that a margin space of 1% inches exists to the left of the first section and a page space of about 6% inches exists to the right of the last margin. The two edges are each trimmed /4; inch to provide margin spaces and pages of 1 /8 inches and 6%; inches respectively.

The first adjustable roller 29 permits a variation in the spacing between the two groups of ruling devices such that the margins on the two sides of each sheet 25 bear the preferred spaced relationship to each other. In this example, a spacing of 2 /1; inches between margins is desirable to permit the 1% inch margin at each side of the sheet after trimming.

The second adjustable roller 33 permits centering of the out between the two margins at each end of the sheet such that the first margin space on each side of the sheet will be 1 /4 inches before trimming.

The present invention possesses a number of important advantages. The multiplicity of stages previously required to rule sheets of paper by applying more than two marginal lines to a sheet, transverse to the longitudinal lines, has been substantially reducedby the incorporation of the present invention with preexisting equipment to form a new combination of parts. This has resulted in important reductions in equipment, space, operation and maintenance requirements and, therefore, has resulted in important reductions in the expenses related thereto. The improvements to the ruling operation simplify the overall operation considerably with consequential reductions in the number of skilled workmen required and with important reductions in the loss of production due to shut-downs. Thus by simplification of the equipment and operation, costs are reduced and productivity increased which result in important savings.

It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment of the invention described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a ruling machine, inking means for applying lines to a moving surface in contact therewith, the improvement which comprises a rotatable shaft, at least two inking blades carried in planes parallel to said shaft by angularly adjustable arms, means for securing said arms to said shaft for rotation therewith, each of said blades being radially adjustable to follow substantially the same circular path, means for separately changing the angle subtended between pairs of adjacent arms, each inking blade comprising a V-shaped blade portion adjustably secured to a base portion, and means for rotating said shaft.

2. In a ruling machine having means for applying spaced, parallel lines to a moving surface in contact therewith, the improvement which comprises means for applying lines at right angles to said first mentioned lines, said means comprising a rotatable shaft, at least two inking blades carried by angularly adjustable arms, means for securing said arms to said shaft for rotation therewith, each of said blades being radially adjustable to follow substantially a circular path, means for separately changing the angle subtended between pairs of adjacent arms, and means for rotating said shaft.

3. In a ruling machine having means for applying spaced, parallel lines to a moving surface in contact therewith, the improvement which comprises means for applying lines at right angles to said first mentioned lines, said means comprising a rotatable shaft, at least two inking blades carried in planes parallel to said shaft by angularly adjustable arms, means for securing said arms to said shaft for rotation therewith, said blades being adapted to follow a circular path, means for separately changing the angle subtended between pairs of adjacent arms, each inking blade comprising a V-shaped blade portion adjustably secured to a base portion, and means for rotating said shaft.

4. A ruling machine which comprises means for applying spaced, parallel lines to a moving surface in contact therewith, means for applying spaced lines to said surface at right angles to said first mentioned lines, said last mentioned means comprising a rotatable shaft, inking blades carried in a plane parallel to said shaft by angularly adjustable arms, means for securing said arms to said shaft for rotation therewith, said blades each being adjustable to follow the same circular path, means for separately changing the angle subtended between pairs of adjacent arms, means for transferring ink to said inking blades, and means for rotating said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 391,949 Cottrell Oct. 30, 1888 1,284,031 Ahlburg Nov. 5, 1918 1,541,429 McMillan June 9, 1925 2,181,197 Moritz Nov. 28, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 205,142 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1923 

1. IN A RULING MACHINE, INKING MEANS FOR APPLYING LINES TO A MOVING SURFACE IN CONTACT THEREWITH, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A ROTATABLE SHAFT, AT LEAST TWO INKING BLADES CARRIED IN PLANES PARALLEL TO SAID SHAFT BY ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE ARMS, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID ARMS TO SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, EACH OF SAID BLADES BEING RADIALLY ADJUSTABLE TO FOLLOW SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME 